Miley Cyrus: Still a girl, not yet an actress in her dramatic debut 'The Last Song'

Remember how “The Hannah Montana Movie” took a serious turnin the last half-hour, with Miley suffering an identity crisis? Consider that awarm-up for “The Last Song,” in which Cyrus tackles her first straight dramaticrole. Despite the title, she does very little singing in the film (aside from ascene in which she belts out Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved” along with theradio); she also doesn’t do much in the way of persuasive emoting, either.

Instead, “Song” demonstrates that, at least at this point inher career, Cyrus won’t be giving Dakota Fanning many sleepless nights: Cyrusis still more of a personality than she is an actress. She can deliver dialogueand generate reactions and she’s got a natural sweetness that works nicely forher in the quieter moments. On the other hand, anger and obstinacy do not comeeasily to her — she expresses her character’s rage by yelling, in the politestway possible — and that’s a definite stumbling block in a story in whichresentment and recriminations are central to the plot.

Author Nicholas Sparks crafted “Song” with Cyrus in mind; agenerous gesture to be sure, even if it’s sort of like getting a sweater fromUncle Bill that’s three sizes too big. Cyrus plays Ronnie, a troubled NewYorker who’s sent to live with her estranged father (Greg Kinnear) on theGeorgia coast. Once a wunderkind at the piano, Ronnie has since become aperpetually cranky teen (and convicted shoplifter) whose mostly black wardrobemirrors her mood.

“Song” incorporates most of the requisite Sparksingredients: broken family ties, medical problems, romance, the healing powerof the beach, etc. Ronnie is pursued by Will (Liam Hemsworth, blessed with themost assertive eyebrows since Luke Perry), who is not only the hunkiestvolleyball player on the sand, but also a devoted volunteer at the localaquarium, a mechanic and — bonus! — the local answer to Richie Rich. That meansRonnie gets a taste of Southern-fried snobbery, courtesy of Will’s haughty mom,in a “Pretty Woman”-ish subplot.

Taken for what it is — a soap opera for the spring-break set— “Song” will probably please Cyrus’ many admirers, even if they roll theireyes at some of the metaphors (Ronnie, whose own family structure is shattered,tries to save a nest of baby sea turtles) or spot its “surprise” plot twist inthe first 10 minutes. Kinnear’s wry humor and understatement help to offsetCyrus’ flatness, although even he can’t nullify the overbearing cutesiness ofBobby Coleman as Ronnie’s painfully precocious little brother.

But although “Song” piles on the crises, it’s not much of atearjerker. Sparks’ busy, pointlessly complicated story is a compendium ofstock situations and two-dimensional characters. He seems to be running througha checklist of chick-flick clichés (the big shopping scene, domestic abuse,terrible revelations, etc.) and director Julie Ann Robinson doesn’t do muchmore than try to connect the various dots, while offering numerous glamourshots of the always perfectly styled Cyrus.

In recent interviews, Cyrus has declared she’sgoing to put music on hold for a while to concentrate on honing her dramaticskills. If that's true,she might want to follow in the footsteps of Cher, another singer-turned-moviestar: Walk away from the makeup table and head to New York for some hard-coreacting classes and stage training.

Granted,it's not as much fun as having a best-selling author whip up a vehicle for you,but it's far more beneficial in the long run, especially if you're truly seriousabout winning over the skeptics instead of merely preaching to the converted.